The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1887-09-16

DerkSuIre Ill Tue SeVcHIy -lOuFGH year
of his age, in a happy and peaceful
frame ofmind.
How Mr.. Perkins Was Convinced.
Having decided to set the "women
folks" up in the poultry business,
Mr.. Perkins at once set about fixing
the poultry-hoase and yard. The
old hen-house was barn, to begin
with-an old fashioned corn barn
that stood up on four stout posts;
but after Mr.. Perkins appropriated
the old building for her fowls, and
it was used for hen house until the
hens were sold. Then it became a
sort of catch all for all of the old rub
bish that there didn't seem to be
any other place for, and the stuff
that couldn't be put inside was SHOW
ed underneath. The roof leaked, and
some of the boards were missing
from the sides, but the frame was
sound and good, and Mr.. Perkins
concluded it would pay for moving.
Mrs. Perkins thought so too. But
she said, "do set it down nearer the
earth than it is now" I am goln' to
answered Mr.. Perkins; I am goin' to
make boss hen.house out of that
old frame. I've got it all planned
out, and when L get it done. our hen.
house will be as good as Mis- Peters.
Mrs. Perkins smiled at the "our."
but said nothing, and Mr.. Perkins
continued:
"You know. Betsey that corner of
the lot where I am going to set the
house, slopes off considerable to the
south; now am going to dig into
the bank enough to level, and make
sort OF cellar, and set the house
over it. / saw hen.house fixed
that way when 1 was over at Smiths
Corner last winter, and it seemed to
me it was about the thing. There
was a door and two windows in the
south side of the cellar, and inside
the hens we're scratchin' in the dust.
and singin' just as though it was sum.
mer. By fxin' it that way you get
twice as much floor room under the
same roof, and you can keep IS hens
In that house if you want to. l shall
have the roosts and nests, and all
the other fixin's up stairs, so that
the hens can just have the cellar to
scratch and loaf in, and | will leave
the door in the east end just as it is
so you can go in the upper story
without goin' through the cellar"
1t will be real nice, said Mrs. Per
kins, just what / should like; but
won't it cost great deal more than
you counted on spendin', when you
first thought of movin' the house?
Eyes, l s'pcse it will; but you see
while I am about it l might as we'll
fix it up in good shape. 1t pays bet
ter to do anything of that kind we'll
in the first place, then l shan't have
to be payin' out all the time for re-
pairs. reckon the whole thing,
fence and all. will cost me nigh on
to seventy.fve dollars, countin' my
time, but it won't be money thrown
away, for if your hen business don't
pan out well, the buildin' will be in
good shape for somethin' else"
Mr.. Perkins carried out his plans
to the letter. The cellar was dug,
the old house moved and fixed over
until its former inmates wouldn't
have recognized their old home.
When it was all done, and the yard
"a good half acre-enclosed with
fence of wire netting, Mr.. Perkins
felt proud Of it, and declared it was
the "best lookin' and most conven-
lent hen house in town." Mrs. Per-
kins said she liked it better than
any hen house she ever saw, and Dol.
ly declared that it was 'sjust SPLEEN
did," and that she would be
happy as soon as the hens were
bought. Then said her father, you
can begin to be happy right off, for
I saw Rogers and Peck to-day, and
bought all the pullets they had to
spare-50 of them, and they will
bring them over tonight.
Evening came, so did Messrs. Rog-
ers and Peck, each with load of
pullets. They were not "fancy" pull.
let's by any means; they were just
common fowls of no particular breed
and of all colors. No two exactly
alike, and their combs were of all
shapes and sizes; but they were a
healthy looking lot, and as neither
Mrs. Perkins nor Dolly had ever
seen anything better than common